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The Rings of Power: 7 & 8

As the season wrapped up, I took notes on my phone during episode 7 as I’ve done the whole season, but, for the finale, I put my phone away and just watched. The season ended on a high note for me, and I’m very much looking forward to the release of season 2 sometime next year. 

Quotes and Goodbyes

One moment that stood out was Elrond and Durin’s goodbye. “Go toward goodness” is such a directed parting. I want to aim my whole life toward goodness.

There was also the quote, “It darkens the heart to call dark deeds good. It gives place for evil to thrive inside us.” Galadriel’s gentle care for Theo was beautiful to see. I was not a fan of how Celeborn was just dropped into the conversation. Or that Elendil did not go back to look for his son. Come on, man. We all know that Isuldur isn’t dead. 

Nori leaving with The Stranger was both heart-rending and exactly how it should be. She had to go. She is built for adventure and The Stranger definitely needs her guidance. I can’t imagine the pain of releasing her. Also, those shapeshifters are terrifying. 

The Lore and Sauron

I’m not going to comment much on the elven rings being made first. It’s out of place in the lore but they’ve departed enough from it (hey, we’re not supposed to have wizards either!) that I can only let that bother me so much. Watching Halbrand be so involved in the making of those rings was chilling though. Halbrand’s transformation into Sauron in the eyes of Galadriel and the viewer was well done. Though really, Galadriel, shouldn’t we have done a background check? A paternity test? Asked for some character references before claiming Halbrand was anything? His attempted manipulation of Galadriel was delicate and detailed. She stood firm though. 

He has been the portrayal of evil that we need more often. Obviously the shapeshifters were evil. They played ominous music when they came on the screen. They looked creepy. They did bad things, such as setting the Harfoots carts on fire. They revealed themselves to be looking for Sauron to help him. Halbrand on the other hand is handsome and disarming. Talented enough to stand out but deflective enough to not draw undue attention, at least not without Galadriel’s help. No one looked him and objectively guessed he was evil. And the darkest evils are most often like that.

The final scene of Halbrand on the rocks facing Mount Doom with his cape blowing behind him seemed like the transformative moment. Surely no one will suspect that he is less than himself after this. It reminded me of the Anakin/Darth Vader transformation from Star Wars. We can only cover our true interior for so long. He has stopped trying.

I’ve enjoyed the show so much more because I blogged through it. We’ll see if I have time for that again next season or not!

Here are links to the previous posts:
Episodes 1 & 2
Episodes 3 & 4
Episodes 5 & 6

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